The use of a substantially parallelepipedic control unit 2, illustrated in FIG. 1, is known in the prior art. This control unit 2 is equipped with several sensors (not shown) enabling it to locate itself in space and to transcribe its movements to a central screen connected to a home video game console. Such a control unit provides a new way of playing, more immersive for the player.
Also known in the prior art is a game system, illustrated in FIG. 2, including a home video game console 4 provided with an optical disk reader 6 for reading optical disks 8 serving as game media, and a connecting cable connected to a central display unit 10 such as a television screen serving as a common display device for all the players, connected to an audio device 12. The console 4 is also connected to one or more control units 14, 16 by connecting cables 18. The control unit 16 is equipped with a liquid crystal display screen 20 (LCD) and includes a recess for receiving an external storage device 22. An accelerometer is located either directly inside the control unit 16 or in the external storage device 22 inserted into the recess provided for this purpose. The motions carried out by the player holding a control unit enables changes to the display on the central televisions screen by processing the signals received by the accelerometer.
Such a game system also makes it possible to improve the immersivity of the players in the flow of the game. Nevertheless, this system exhibits certain drawbacks; in particular the LCD screen 20 of the control unit 16 has no dedicated use and is not used to further increase the game immersivity. The player's control possibilities combine the traditional control buttons, to which are added the signals received by the accelerometer of the control unit. However, these controls do not allow fast and direct interactivity of the player with information and/or images or sequences relating to the game so as to be able to modify or personalize them.
A game system illustrated in FIG. 2, is also known in the art, and includes a home video game console 24 equipped with an optical disk reader 26 for reading optical disks 28 used as game media and a connecting cable 30 connected to a central display device 32, such as a television screen used as a common display for all the players and including an audio output 34. The console 24 is also connected to one or more control units 36 and 38 by connecting cables 40. The control units 36, 38 are each equipped with a liquid crystal display screen (LCD) 42 on which are displayed information and/or images relating to the game. A touch screen 44 overlying the LCD screen enables detection of touch commands in the form of a sequence of locations touched on the screen to more quickly change the information and/or images displayed.
Even though such a game system allows for better interactivity of the players with the flow of the game, it nevertheless exhibits certain drawbacks. Indeed, such a system has limited game immersivity, the player not having the benefit of commands allowing detection of game controller motions capable of changing the display of information and/or images relating to the game.
The present disclosure responds to the different drawbacks mentioned above and in particular to provides a simple and low-cost control unit capable of providing both good immersivity and good player interactivity with the flow of the game and more particularly with information and/or images displayed on this control unit.